PROFILE OF RICHARD FIELD:
Richard has a professional background in manufacturing and has worked for large multi-national organisations. Latterly he worked in the animal feed business. He is currently a Non-executive Director with Kent Community Healthcare Trust and is the Chairman of the board of Governors for Canterbury Academy.
How long have you been in the Club and what led you to join?
I have been a member of the FOB Rotary Club for 17 years. I joined Rotary as it gave me a chance to meet like minded business people in my local area, an opportunity to give community service and as we are an active social club to make some new friends.
What parts of being a Rotarian do you most enjoy?
I enjoy most aspects of being a Rotarian and that is why I try and take part in most of the things that the Club does.
How to you manage the time commitment?
The Club has moved to being very flexible as regards attendance at Club meetings. When I first joined I was working full time with a young family and although I could attend most evening meetings we couldn’t fully participate in all the social events and fund raising activities. As my family grew up and left home and I moved into semi-retirement we have been able to support more activities and social events. I always believe that you get out what you put in and I have always found the Club accommodating to members’ circumstances.
What community service or fundraising activities have you recently been involved with?
Each year the Club has a number of Community Service and Fund Raising Projects on the go. In the last year I have taken part in Mock Interviews and CV writing for 6th formers at the Canterbury Academy, marshalling at “A night to Shine” in Canterbury for Pilgrim’s Hospice sponsored run/walk, taking part in Kids Out with the Joy Lane School Autism Unit, running a Race Night in aid of the President’s Charities, numerous bucket collections at local supermarkets, working with local charities such as Age UK and delivering parcels for the Lord Mayor’s Christmas Gift Fund.
How do you find the social life offered by CFOB?
Very varied and entertaining. We have a number of visits to interesting places with partners including concerts, theatre, trips to gardens and a weekend away if you can fit it in. On top of this we have a monthly partner’s night where we will have a suitable speaker and finally numerous invitations from fellow Rotarians to dinner.
From July you are responsible for the club’s programme. What types of event are planned and is there a full and stimulating speakers programme?
I am putting together a full programme of meetings and events for this coming year. We will be having the usual speaker nights with a very varied range of speakers with talks on;- journalism, graphene applications, challenging adversity, the Grenfell Tower fire, just to name a few. On top of the speaker nights we will be also having a number of “out meetings” such as;- visiting a grain marketing and storage business, attendance at the “Rude Mechanicals” Show, mini golf and visit to The Chef’s Academy at the Canterbury High School. As regards the social and fund raising calendar there are a number of events planned from seeing a show at the Royal Albert Hall, the usual Safari lunch, New Year walk and a possible trip to the Normandy Beaches to Quizzes, Country Pursuits and bucket collections just to name a few.
PROFILE OF MIKE MOORE:
Mike Moore is our newest club member. He is a retired Chartered Accountant with many years’ experience working in the charity sector. He has lived in Faversham his entire life. Since retiring in 2015 he has devoted a significant proportion of his time to working with a number of local charities as Treasurer or Trustee, often working for vulnerable people and was formally treasurer of the Fynvola Foundation. He is currently a School Governor at Kent College, Canterbury.
How long have you been in the Club and what led you to join?
I joined the club in February 2019, having attended a number of members’ speaker evenings and some social events with my wife. I was encouraged to join by one of the current members.
What parts of being a Rotarian do you most enjoy?
Early days yet but I do enjoy the talks on a Monday evening.
How to you manage the time commitment?
Monday evenings are not too much of a problem, but I do have a lot of other commitments. It was explained to me that the club understands this and hopes I will engage as much as I can within my constraints.
What community service or fundraising activities have you recently been involved with?
Still early days, within the club, but I do have a great deal of experience from my engagement with other charities and I hope this experience will be of benefit.
How do you find the social life offered by CFOB?
Again, early days but it looks good and I certainly hope to partake in events, with my wife, when I can.
Mike's journey to membership followed the normal course for individuals showing an interest in learning more about Rotary. He first visited the club in November 2018 and was then invited to view the programme and select a few more events that he might be interested in. By attending these meetings, he got to meet a wide range of members from the club. Mike then attended a partners’ event with his wife and following this confirmed that he would like to join. We were delighted to formally welcome Mike into the Rotary family in February 2019.
